Second Chance

Second Chance is one of my favorite places to shop in Baltimore. It is a DIYers haven. The nonprofit salvages materials from buildings it deconstructs. If you go, you'll find four different warehouses that carry everything from vintage theater seats, to old-school appliances, to decorative accents like glass door knobs. Second Chance is a great place to find unique, recycled goods at bargain prices. In fact, it's where I find a lot of things that inspire future DIY projects. The staff is always friendly and willing to help.

Five innings had passed Sunday, and the South team still didn't have a hit. "It was kind of a joke in the dugout for a little bit how we were going to no-hit them," North pitcher Peter Solomon (Mount St. Joseph) said, with a grin. "It kept on going and going, but we eventually knew they would get a hit. " The South only had three hits, though, as the North's four pitchers led the way to a 4-2 win in the annual Brooks Robinson All-Star Game at Camden Yards. Jamal Wade (St. Paul's)

O n the morning of Nov. 19, Marvin Williamson was 41 years into a life sentence for killing a man as a teenager in 1967. By late afternoon, he was several hours into freedom, bending his 6-foot-3-inch frame to fit into an old friend's comfortably cramped living room in Baltimore's Pen Lucy neighborhood. He had been unceremoniously set loose from the Hagerstown correctional facility after a brief hearing in Baltimore Circuit Court, when Judge Marcus Shar modified his prison term by suspending all but the time he had served.

With a strong wind at his back as he came through the Belmont Park stretch, Triple Crown hopeful California Chrome breezed a half-mile in 47.69 seconds Saturday morning in his final serious move before the Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes on Saturday. Under jockey Victor Espinoza, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner continued on strongly, caught in 59.93 for 5 furlongs, galloping out in 1:12.95 and credited with a double gallop-out in 1:26.28 over a fast track by New York Racing Association clockers.

Government shutdown. Hyper-partisanship. Ideological warfare. Gridlock in Congress. While those are four things that too many associate with Washington, the reality is that along the banks of the Potomac, sensible minds from across the political and ideological spectrums are coming together in the most unexpected area of governance: criminal justice. Justice is the ideal pursued, albeit imperfectly, in our nation's founding documents and advanced through time by our greatest leaders.

I read the recent commentary by Craig DeRoche and Benjamin Todd Jealous in The Sun regarding the Second Chance Reauthorization Act, and it was well done ( "Everyone deserves a second chance," Nov. 25). The issue that I have written to multiple legislators about is that the act only gives a second chance to non-violent offenders. There are a high number of violent and registered sex offenders entering our communities on a daily basis, and the original act includes no provision for assisting these people.

Not too long ago, Ma'ake Kemoeatu had a knack for swallowing up opposing blockers and running backs with remarkable efficiency. But then the nose tackle was beset by injuries, sitting out two of the last three seasons. Kemoeatu, 33, is eager to revive the past, and his comeback has begun with the Ravens, who signed the free agent on May 2. "I'm trying to prove that I can still play football," he said. "I do feel like I've got a chip on my shoulder. I feel like I still have another three or four years in me. So this year, I'm going to give it a shot.

And what if Maryland correctional officials had notified the people of Woodbine, in western Howard County, that a few inmates might be working at the nearby Day's End horse rescue farm? You think the neighbors would have been delighted? Think they would have offered to bring over a picnic lunch? It wasn't just "lack of notification" that caused the suspension of one of the state's few projects in supervised inmate work. The people who complained about inmates at Day's End are human, and it is human to fear first and ask questions later.

Things have always been a bit uncertain for Second Chance, a salvage depot and nonprofit organization that has built a loyal following among homeowners, interior designers, commercial builders and art students seeking one-of-a-kind home items - bathtubs, shutters, mantelpieces, you name it - from old structures. Since opening in 2003 in a leased warehouse in the crumbling industrial area just south of M&T Bank Stadium, Second Chance has grown to occupy several leased warehouses. But it has always operated under the threat of eviction, thanks to various redevelopment proposals in the area.

As with many things in life, the secret to clarifying butter is patience. "You can't hurry love," chef Linda Vogler instructs her culinary students, gathered around as she helps a student skim the foamy, fatty spots from a saucepan of melted butter. Then she breaks into song: "You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait ... " and the students burst into giggles, a few singing along. Vogler is the beloved culinary instructor at Light House, an Annapolis-based shelter and homeless prevention organization.

Running back Lorenzo Taliaferro was the last player to walk off the Ravens' practice field Saturday, holding an upbeat conversation with coach John Harbaugh following the end of a rookie minicamp. It was a meaningful moment for the fourth-round draft pick from Coastal Carolina (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) considering that academic problems in high school nearly derailed a promising football career. Growing up in Williamsburg, Va., Taliaferro was ruled academically ineligible for his sophomore season at Bruton High School.

As with many things in life, the secret to clarifying butter is patience. "You can't hurry love," chef Linda Vogler instructs her culinary students, gathered around as she helps a student skim the foamy, fatty spots from a saucepan of melted butter. Then she breaks into song: "You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait ... " and the students burst into giggles, a few singing along. Vogler is the beloved culinary instructor at Light House, an Annapolis-based shelter and homeless prevention organization.

Last-second basketball plays are like life. You plan as best you can, but you never really know what's going to transpire. So, ultimately, you are left to improvise. That's what Maryland was doing in the final seconds of its loss at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday while trailing Duke, 68-67. Coach Mark Turgeon wasn't intending to run a play for forward Charles Mitchell, who is more adept at rebounding than scoring around the basket. But the opportunity presented itself for Mitchell to get a good shot.

Getting kicked off the Virginia Tech football team could have ended Telvion Clark's career. Instead, he turned it into an opportunity to find success at Towson. After playing a limited role during his freshman and sophomore years, Clark was poised to become a starter for the Hokies as a junior. Instead, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer dismissed Clark from the team in March 2012 after the outside linebacker was cited in Blacksburg, Va., for misdemeanor public intoxication/swearing.

For Steven Rhodes, any game is a big game. After all, the Middle Tennessee defensive end came close to sitting out the entire season. This one, though, beats them all. A matchup with Navy on Monday in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth makes the former Marine sergeant's eyes open wide with anticipation. "It's a privilege and an honor to play in the Armed Forces Bowl, especially playing against the Navy," Rhodes said at Burleson Centennial High School, where his team is practicing.

In the aftermath of No. 5 seed Maryland's 1-0 win against No. 12 seed UC-Irvine in a third-round game of the NCAA men's soccer tournament on Sunday night, several Terps were asked about Saturday's quarterfinal meeting with No. 4 seed California. A Cheshire-like grin crossed the face of senior forward Patrick Mullins before he answered. “This is exactly what we wanted,” he said. “That's what we said after the game in our hotel room,” freshman goalkeeper Zack Steffen chimed in. “We wanted them at the end of the year, and now we've got them.” Giving some bulletin-board material to a Golden Bears squad that went 14-4-2 might be a recipe for disaster, but Maryland (15-5-3)

Getting kicked off the Virginia Tech football team could have ended Telvion Clark's career. Instead, he turned it into an opportunity to find success at Towson. After playing a limited role during his freshman and sophomore years, Clark was poised to become a starter for the Hokies as a junior. Instead, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer dismissed Clark from the team in March 2012 after the outside linebacker was cited in Blacksburg, Va., for misdemeanor public intoxication/swearing.

I read the recent commentary by Craig DeRoche and Benjamin Todd Jealous in The Sun regarding the Second Chance Reauthorization Act, and it was well done ( "Everyone deserves a second chance," Nov. 25). The issue that I have written to multiple legislators about is that the act only gives a second chance to non-violent offenders. There are a high number of violent and registered sex offenders entering our communities on a daily basis, and the original act includes no provision for assisting these people.

We finally live in a world of widespread concussion awareness, and for that 17-year-old Abby Cahalan will give thanks on Thursday. She learned about postconcussion syndrome the hard way - one pounding headache and dizzy spell at a time - and has spent the past four years redefining herself as an athlete and as a determined young woman bent on overcoming a debilitating physical obstacle that could have derailed her athletic dreams. That's why there wasn't a dry eye on the Dulaney High girls cross country team when the senior qualified for this year's Class 4A state championship race, and why there really are times when finishing in the middle of the pack is as good as gold.